It took Nike nearly 15 years to clear the stain on its brand caused by revelations about its use of sweatshops in the developing world. Today, in light of subsequent scandals and tragedies, not only is there greater scrutiny of the global supply chains used by multinationals and wider consumer awareness of the pitfalls of outsourcing manufacturing. Technology has also made it easier to monitor where and under what conditions things are made. There should be fewer excuses therefore for unethical behaviour.
Yet big companies continue running into trouble. A Financial Times investigation revealed this week that Apple iPhones were being manufactured at a plant in China where school interns were forced to work illegal overtime. This was not the most shocking instance of exploitation. It is nonetheless unacceptable that one of the richest companies in the history of companies, had not conducted more effective due diligence of its supply chain.
Foxconn, the main supplier of iPhones had turned to cheap student labour to catch up with a rush of orders of Apple’s anniversary iPhone X. The company says it has now halted abuse at its Zhengzhou plant. But it should not have required bad publicity for them to do so. Increased demand is no excuse for condoning exploitation.